The Francis Malcolm Science Center's Educational Philosophy is as follows:
- To work with educators to develop programming to fit their curriculum needs.
- To create programs that are not just "fun" but educational as well that can be used before, during, or after units of study teachers are pursuing in their classrooms.
- To create within our programs activities that are hands-on and involve the senses of touch, smell, sights and sound.
- To offer professional development in the STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math) subjects, as well as topics in outdoor education and enhancing pedagogy.
- To gather feedback from educators and students through Exit Tickets and email communications to improve our programming.
2024-2025
Educational Program Offerings
Educational Program Offerings
- Programs are offered to students from area schools, homeschool groups, special needs groups, Little Feathers Pre-School, and after school and summer school programs, recreation departments and organizations such as Girl and Boy Scouts, Civil Air Patrol.
- Four volunteer retired educators design the programs, organize the materia, and present them. This group includes Elaine Hendrickson, 2001 Maine Teacher of the Year and avid hiker and nature enthusiast, Suzanne Beaudet, former professor at UMPI and life-long Girl Scout, Mary Jo Badger, retired special education teacher and crafter, and Ellen Helstrom, retired educator who continues to substitute.
- We emphasize that our programs are designed to be educational and used to introduce a unit of study, to augment their unit, or a follow up unit.
- Our programs are designed to be hands-on with components that emphasize the use of observations by involving the senses of sight, hearing, and touching that are designed at the students' age levels.
- Single Day Programs run from one and a half hours to 2 hours or more. This next year we are planning to host multiple day programs that give us the time to introduce the topic one day, explore more in depth with a community science component by collecting data, and then a day to debrief data collected and either upload to a data base or create a graph showing the results of the study. An example is the study o Vern Pools that was developed this past year for grade 6 from Fort Fairfield Middle School.
- Planetarium program with a follow-up related educational program. For example, after showing Rusty Rocket's Last Blast, we created a number of different activities depending upon the age level of the group. These included two levels of Bingo games, a tour through the solar system, using our blow up planets, while learning more information about about each planet or body in our solar system.
- We also offer a combination of planetarium shows followed by a hike. this usually involves two classes coming together. For example, a class might watch Rusty Rocket, while the other goes on a hike of the trails. Both classes have lunch together then they switch programs or the afternoon.
- Inside Nature Programs, are done totally in the Science Center. Examples are Birds, Birds, Birds, students learn about bird adaptations and their habitat. We use specimens to explain the adaptation. Another is, Going on a Critter Hunt, based on the book Going on a Bear Hunt. Using pelts and models of tracks and scat, students travel in small groups from one pelt to the other using clues to discover what animal they have found.
- Outdoor programming on our trail system in all seasons include:
- Nature Hike, a general overview of different things found along our trail.
- Forest Ecosystem Hike, a tour through our Tree Plantation dicussing how important the trees are in providing habitat for the creatures that live there.
- Trees, Trees, Trees, hosted by Randy Legasse, our Maine State Forester Volunteer who discusses the kinds of trees that are found on the FMSC property.
- Following the Signs, a winter program, where students loook for signs of animals to determine what animals live in our woods.
- Professional Development for educators. STEAM into Spring workshop that includes a planetarium show and a number o science- related
Outdoor Programs
Our outdoor programs are designed to be adapted to each grade level attending as well as to the season of the hike. All programs include a Scavenger Hunt or similar activity for students to complete while at the Science Center or on the hike. Students and teachers will be asked to complete Exit Tickets upon returning to school to let us know what students have learned or found interesting about their experience. Our programs typically run for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Programs for the 2024 - 2025 school year
Take a Hike:
Come hike with us! Enjoy and learn about the natural environment, as well as get some exercise, too. While hiking one of our trails, we will talk about Leave No Trace Ethics. Using the senses of smell, touch, sight, and sound, we will identfy cool things in nature while completing a Scavenger Hunt and maybe create a piece of nature art. (Number #1 most requested program for 2022-2023)
Discovering a Forest Ecosystem:
Our Tree Plantation provides a unique ecosystem for the plants and animals who live here. Our first mini-lesson will to be to watch the full dome video, Ecosystem. The second mini-lesson will to be to review what makes up a forest ecosystem. The final mini-lesson will be to hike through the forest to determine what elements there are here to provide a suitable habitat for our birds and animals to survive. (It is helpful if students have some previous knowledge of what an ecosystem and food chains are.). This program may take longer than two hours to encompass all the activities listed above. (Second most requested program for 2022-2023)
Birds! Birds! Birds!:
How have birds adapted to survive in our forest ecosystem? While in the Science Center, students will learn about bird adaptations. After making bird feeders, the students will hike in and around the bird sanctuary to leave their feeders and to look more closely at the forest habitat and determine whether or not it has the necessary elements to support bird life. (Third most requested program for 2022-2023)
Everyday, we follow signs designed to give us information. We can use signs that animals and birds leave as well to determine what lives in our Tree Plantation. After a brief introduction in the Science Center, let's hike the trail looking for some of these signs. We'll look for animal tracks, scat, feathers, hair, or other signs of animals. We'll also listen and watch for actual sightings. Using all this information, determine what animals or birds you have seen.
(Recommended for the winter when the signs are more visible in the snow.)
Our outdoor programs are designed to be adapted to each grade level attending as well as to the season of the hike. All programs include a Scavenger Hunt or similar activity for students to complete while at the Science Center or on the hike. Students and teachers will be asked to complete Exit Tickets upon returning to school to let us know what students have learned or found interesting about their experience. Our programs typically run for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
Programs for the 2024 - 2025 school year
Take a Hike:
Come hike with us! Enjoy and learn about the natural environment, as well as get some exercise, too. While hiking one of our trails, we will talk about Leave No Trace Ethics. Using the senses of smell, touch, sight, and sound, we will identfy cool things in nature while completing a Scavenger Hunt and maybe create a piece of nature art. (Number #1 most requested program for 2022-2023)
Discovering a Forest Ecosystem:
Our Tree Plantation provides a unique ecosystem for the plants and animals who live here. Our first mini-lesson will to be to watch the full dome video, Ecosystem. The second mini-lesson will to be to review what makes up a forest ecosystem. The final mini-lesson will be to hike through the forest to determine what elements there are here to provide a suitable habitat for our birds and animals to survive. (It is helpful if students have some previous knowledge of what an ecosystem and food chains are.). This program may take longer than two hours to encompass all the activities listed above. (Second most requested program for 2022-2023)
Birds! Birds! Birds!:
How have birds adapted to survive in our forest ecosystem? While in the Science Center, students will learn about bird adaptations. After making bird feeders, the students will hike in and around the bird sanctuary to leave their feeders and to look more closely at the forest habitat and determine whether or not it has the necessary elements to support bird life. (Third most requested program for 2022-2023)
Weather Forecasting:
Have you ever asked, "What is the weather for today?" Let's try to figure out our own weather forecast by examining weather equipment used by meteorologists. From there we will go on one of our trails to collect weather data that include: temperature, barometric pressure, rain or snow amounts and cloud cover. Upon returning to the Center we will write our own FMSC Weather Report.
Everyday, we follow signs designed to give us information. We can use signs that animals and birds leave as well to determine what lives in our Tree Plantation. After a brief introduction in the Science Center, let's hike the trail looking for some of these signs. We'll look for animal tracks, scat, feathers, hair, or other signs of animals. We'll also listen and watch for actual sightings. Using all this information, determine what animals or birds you have seen.
(Recommended for the winter when the signs are more visible in the snow.)
Learn to read a Map:
Learning to read a map is very important in becoming an avid outdoor adventurer. Using maps of the area, learn the symbols on maps and how to read them. Test your new-found skills, by using a map of the Science Center to discover hidden surprises.
Trees, Trees, Trees, and more Trees:
Phenology Challenge:
Become a citizen scientist by hiking the same trail three times, once in the fall, winter, and spring observing signs of change. What happens to the plants, trees, birds, and animals as the temperatures drop and then rise again? Keeping a nature journal, small groups of children will observe the same plot of land each season in which to draw what it looks like and record the temperature, snow conditions, colors, animal signs, and other signs of the seasons. On the last visit, draw conclusions about the changing of the seasons and celebrate spring with us! (This is a long-term program requiring three visits to the Science Center.)
We also design specific programs at teachers' requests. Here is a list of other programs we hosted last year and are delighted to present if you would like one of these: Weather Scenarios, Donn Fendler Day, Dive to the Depths of the Ocean, Celebrate Earth Day, and Tale on a Trail Literacy Day.
Other programs are currently in development in relationship to our work with the Gulf of Maine Research Institute: Vernal Pool Exploration (in the spring only) and The Emerald Ash Borer and its Effect on Northern Maine Woods.
To schedule a program contact:
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Elaine Hendrickson, Volunteer Program Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Full Dome Programs
Full Dome programs are available upon request. Contact the Science Center at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Elaine Hendrickson, Volunteer Program Coordinator at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for a list of the full dome shows that the Science Center owns. There will be no rental fee charged for any of these. If the shows we own do not meet your curriculum needs, go to Full Dome on Demand, https://fulldomeondemand.com/shows_ato.html. If the cost to rent the dome show is more than $5, you will be asked to pay the rental fee.